No ACC freshman next season will be more important or be under more pressure than UNC's Marcus Paige

With all due respect to the recruiting experts and those who pick the McDonald’s and Parade All-America teams, all of whom following recruiting a lot more closely than I do, here is one columnist’s look at the freshmen that will have the greatest impact on ACC basketball next season.

Keep in mind that this isn’t a ranking of the best players coming into the league in 2012-13. That list would look quite different. Rather, it’s preview of the half dozen players that will likely be asked to play the most important immediate roles for their respective teams:

6. Rodney Purvis, 6-4, SG, N.C. State, five stars: Compared by many to Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade, Purvis may be the most physically gifted incoming freshman in the ACC next season and will likely move right into the starting position vacated by the graduation of C.J. Williams. But while the athletic shooting guard will almost certainly make an immediate impact, he won’t have the pressure of carrying the load for the Wolfpack surrounded by a lineup that includes All-ACC selections C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown, and two other veteran starters.

5. Justin Anderson, 6-6, SF, Virginia, four stars: While Anderson won’t help the Cavaliers replace first-team All-ACC big man Mike Scott, he will give them an element they sorely lacked last season – an athletic wing with explosive offensive potential. By all accounts, Anderson is still very raw, but he is already a strong defender, doesn’t mind contact and is an aggressive offensive rebounder. Those are traits that will get him on the floor early and make a significant immediate contribution.

4. Marshall Wood, 6-8, F, Virginia Tech, three stars: There are other players lower on this list that are more highly rated than Wood, but none of them may be more important because of the circumstances. With the recent loss of top recruit Montrezl Harrell, Wood is now the only incoming freshman in this year’s class. Combined with the transfer of promising sophomore Dorian Finney-Smith, new coach James Johnson will have only eight scholarship players with which to work. Wood is going to have to contribute and contribute big for the Hokies to have any chance at a winning season.

3. Codi Miller-McIntyre, 6-2, PG, Wake Forest, four stars: Miller-McIntyre is one of seven incoming freshmen for coach Jeff Bzdelik’s Deacons, but he is by far the most significant because of his quickness and ball distribution skills. His primary role will be to get the ball into the hands of his team’s only two legitimate ACC-caliber veterans – C.J. Harris and Travis McKie – in places they can operate as much as humanly possible. That’s something his now-transferred predecessor Tony Chennault wasn’t able to do enough.

2. Amile Jefferson, 6-9, SF, Duke, five stars: Fellow freshman Rasheed Sulaimon will likely end up with better statistics, but Jefferson figures to be even more important to the big picture because of the little things he does and the physical attributes he brings to the Blue Devils. He’s the long, athletic wing player coach Mike Krzyzewski’s teams have sorely lacked in recent years. His addition should immediately make Duke a much better defensive team than it was last season

1. Marcus Paige, 6-0, PG, North Carolina, four stars: An excellent ball-handler with good court vision and the ability to knock down the perimeter shot, Paige’s transition from high school to college will hold the key to how good the Tar Heels can be in 2012-13. If he can settle in quickly, run the break and get the ball inside effectively, UNC will be a force to be reckoned with both in the ACC and nationally. But Paige isn’t the only one who could experience growing pains if the physical rigors of the college game and the pressure of replacing Bob Cousy Award winner Kendall Marshall prove too much of a burden to handle.

Other key freshmen who figure to make their presence known early and play key roles for their new teams include five-star big man Robert Carter at Georgia Tech, four-star center Shaquille Cleare and guards Sam Cassell Jr. and Seth Allen at Maryland, and UNC big man Brice Johnson.

It’s entirely possible that FSU will start a freshman at point guard in at least some of the games this year…although I’m not certain which one. There should be a healthy competition though. Also, a freshman or redshirt freshman will likely start at center.